Stressing platinum's benefits along with its features makes the sale

by Caroline Stanley, Platinum Guild International USA-Jewelry

You're selling platinum because your customers asked for it - and because it will make you more money. Make sure you're prepared to reap the benefits by learning a bit more about your platinum customer and the metal itself.

Platinum customers are very much like your other customers in many respects - they're looking for good value, service, product knowledge and something unique. But platinum customers are on a mission. Their appetites have been whetted for this beautiful white metal. Perhaps they asked other jewelers about platinum, but didn't get satisfactory answers. Many times, your customers hunting platinum may have been searching without success. Step in and make the sale.

Sell Platinum's Prestige

Your customers associate platinum with quality - songs go "platinum" when they become best-sellers; the most prestigious credit cards usually are called "platinum" cards. Platinum is also becoming a fashion icon in itself as top designers use platinum-colored clothing and trim on shoes, belts, purses and buttons.

Sell Platinum's Higher Cost as a Positive
As you've found out, most of your customers don't know much about platinum, though some know it's supposed to be pure, heavy and more costly than other metals. Because of this mind-set, they already expect to pay more for platinum. Make the price a positive feature.

Sell Platinum's Benefits

Tie into customer perceptions with platinum's features and benefits. You can rattle off features all day, but they mean nothing until the benefit part (also known as the "what's-in-it-for-me" part). Give your customers a fact about platinum, then follow it with why that fact is beneficial to them. Take advantage of this approach with each feature listed on the accompanying chart. Add more benefits on your own. Platinum is an easy sale when you show your customers how it will benefit them.

Selling Platinum's Features & Benefits

Features:

Platinum is pure: It's hypoallergenic and won't tarnish. Most platinum is 90% or 95% pure, making it the perfect choice if a customer has allergies or prefers purity.

Platinum is rare: 10 tons of ore and eight weeks are required to produce just 1 ounce of platinum. A 6-sq.-in. cube of platinum weighs about 165 pounds. If a customer is looking for something unique, platinum is the answer - not everyone can own platinum.

Platinum is strong: It's one of the world's strongest and most enduring metals and also one of the heaviest: Pt900 weighs 60% more than 14k gold. Platinum feels good to the touch. A customer can actually feel the richness of platinum's weight and feel special wearing it.

Platinum is durable: Some of the world's greatest treasures are set in platinum, including the Hope Diamond. Platinum holds precious stones in place, giving peace of mind. It also needs less maintenance over the years. Even when scratched, platinum jewelry will not suffer any loss of metal.

Platinum is distinctive: Platinum looks different than silver or white gold. It has a distinctive tone. Platinum makes people look twice, earning the wearer compliments and the chance to show off her jewelry and tell the platinum story.

Caroline Stanley is manager of communications for the Platinum Guild International USA-Jewelry. She also is a third-generation jeweler who grew up on the sales floor and is a past-president of the Arkansas Jewelers Association and the Southwest Guild of the American Gem Society. At PGI, Stanley travels across the U.S. to train retailers and manages a variety of projects.

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